KINGDOM HEARTS 1
by Animerox19
Summary: A girl named Jade was suddenly transported into the world of Kingdom Hearts. There she befriends her heroes Sora, Riku and Kairi. When she thought she was going to go through the wonderful story of Kingdom Hearts, she had no Idea how crazy it was going to get!
1. The Start Of a Journey

I always wanted something outrageous to happen in my life. Like a young, handsome man from a distant world appeared before me and said that I was a princess to a lost kingdom. But I never thought in a million years I was going to become part of the wonderful story of Kingdom Hearts, a video game that's been a big part of me ever since I could remember. I was getting ready to play it one afternoon when my head started to spin. It felt like I was on a pirate ship sailing on rough seas and then, I found myself falling onto my bed's soft linen sheets. When my eyes opened, I was almost blinded by a bright sun. My vision cleared from the sun rays and I noticed I was on a beach. I could hear seagulls crying above and the sound of rolling waves rushing to the surface. This beach felt familiar to me as I observed my surroundings. I did my infamous high pitched gasp when I realised I was on Destiny Islands, the place where this wonderful story began. A wave of excitement came over me and a loud squeal escaped my lips. I placed a hand over them from embarrassment. In the distance, I heard faint laughing and twirled to find Sora, Riku and Kairi striding towards me, giggling at an unheard joke. I hid behind a bush in front of a beautiful waterfall and watched the trio from afar. Should I approach them? If I don't I may never have this opportunity again. Maybe they will know why I was brought here. I gathered up my courage and proudly walked up to them. I greeted the three with a big, goofy smile and an outstretched hand.

"Hello!" I said awkwardly. I could tell by the look of Riku and Kairi's face that I was an odd person. Sora greeted me friendly back with no concern.

"Hi! What's your name?" Sora asked obnoxiously as he shook my hand.

"J-Jade?" I scratched the back of my head nervously.

"You don't sound so sure." Riku teased.

"Yeah, that's me!" I said assuringly this time and Riku shook my hand.

"So what brings you here?" Kairi asked. As we shook hands, I got this hateful vibe from her. Did she not like the idea of me taking the boy's attention away from her?

"To tell you the truth, I don't know what brought me here." I shrugged my shoulders. The three gave me enough time to explain my situation. They welcomed me with encouraging smiles but I knew that hidden beneath that friendly face was someone who wanted me to go away.

"That's very odd." Riku thought out loud.

"Why don't you stay with us until you figure things out?" Sora suggested. Riku and Kairi pulled Sora off to the side to have a secret meeting but they didn't know how to keep it down.

"Sora are you crazy? You can't just invite total strangers to live with us!" Kairi said in a failed whisper.

"But she's not a stranger anymore."

"Still, would your mom allow a girl to stay at your house? You know how she is."

"If she has to, then she can stay at my house." Kairi suggested. Sora's face lit up. It was nice to know that someone appreciated my being here.

"See it all works out!" He said cheerfully. I couldn't help but chuckle at his silliness. But it seemed like I was becoming a problem so I had to say something.

"Guys, if it's too much I can stay here on the island." I shrugged. They glanced at me with shocked faces like they had no idea I was listening in.

"No it's not too much! You're welcome to stay as long as you want." Sora offered. My face turned completely red and looked away bashfully. Riku wrapped his arm around me playfully.

"Welcome to the group!" Riku smiled and ruffled my hair. Kairi embraced me and then I was squeezed with a group hug. Throughout the day, we walked over the whole island and it didn't seem odd to them that I knew which direction to take. Our tour ended with them showing me their raft that was almost finished.

"Wow this is so cool! You guys did a great job!" I shrieked like it was the coolest thing in the world.

"We're planning on leaving this place to explore the world! Want to come with us?" Sora asked obnoxiously.

"Sora! You can't go around inviting people! Especially ones you just met!" Kairi growled and smacked Sora on the head playfully.

"Guys it's okay. I'm really flattered by this." I blushed.

"You are a strange girl." Riku chuckled. I laughed at his little insult.

"Yeah, people back home think so too!"

"So what's this place like? Your home, Is it near here?" Sora asked. I thought on how I was going to explain this to them.

"No...it's in another dimension per say." I rubbed my eyes so they can refocus from the sun's powerful rays. Their jaws dropped and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Another...dimension?" Riku repeated. My lips curved into half a smile.

"Yeah and to people in my dimension, you guys and this world doesn't exist." I said in a high pitched and nervous voice. I offered them to sit and told them about video games and my thoughts on what my purpose on being here was. Sora listened intensively and the other two were laid back as if the sounded like a bunch of crap.

"Wow! So are we real to you?" Sora asked. I knew there was something different about him, he wasn't his goofy self anymore and that worried me. I held his hands tightly and he jumped at my sudden action.

"Of course!" I assured with a slight nod. After that, the sun began to set and we headed for the docks. I was overflowed with excitement knowing that I got to see where they lived in person. People back home would love to have this opportunity. I climbed into Kairi's boat and watched the island create a beautiful silhouette in the distance. I acted like a total fan girl as we approached their home. I couldn't see but I felt Kairi pierce the back of my head with a confused look. As the pulled into the docks, I tried so hard not to rock the boat with my body shaking. They tied the boats and I was the first to jump on land. My eyes lit up and I squealed at the sight of their hometown.

"Why are YOU so excited?" Sora asked.

"It's just, back at home. People never get to see your hometown in the first game. So this is an amazing opportunity!" I shrieked. Sora gave me a fake smile and turned away, trying to hide his sad face.

"Sora? Are you okay?" I asked with concern. He shook his head and chuckled.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I went off into space is all." He lied. I knew something was bothering him but I decided to let it go. We stopped at a cross road and the four of us went separate ways. I wanted nothing more than to follow the boys home and see where they lived. Kairi placed her hand on my shoulder.

"My house is this way!" She pointed down the dimly lit path. I noticed her mood changed too but in a good way unlike Sora's. She seemed to be more enthused about my being here.

"So I heard rumours in my dimension that you're the mayor's daughter. Is that true?"

"Wh-where did you hear...that?" Her face turned completely red from embarrassment.

"On the internet."

"What's the internet?" She questioned in a childlike tone. I described what what it was on the way.

"Oh. Well the rumours are true. I AM the mayor's daughter." She covered her mouth and I raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not supposed to blurt that out to the villagers and...I told you." She giggled.

"I won't tell anyone I promise!" I assured.

"Somehow I knew you wouldn't. Like you gave me this feeling that you're trust worthy." She smiled. When we reached her house, I was introduced to her parents who surprisingly believed our little white lie, of my parents being out of town. They treated me like I was part of the family. After dinner, Kairi took me to her room that I was so ecstatic to see. She walked in like it was no big deal. But I on the other hand acted like I was walking into a celebrity's house. She laughed at my goofiness.

"You are so weird Jade." She teased. That night we sat on the floor and talked about anything and everything. I told her more about home, about my parents, my friends and hobbies. I never talked about myself like this to anyone. She gladly listened and would ask multiple questions. When I was finished, it was her turn to talk about herself. I in return listened and asked thousands of questions. The night could go on forever by the way we talked. When the sun rose, Kairi fell a sleep for a few hours but I was too excited to sleep. I explored her house quietly like a ninja to pass time. Kairi woke up and decided after breakfast to take me to the island before the boys. While rolling on the waves there was a question that was eating away at me that I HAD to ask.

"So you guys are going to see new worlds right? Wouldn't you be running away? Why would you want to leave this beautiful place? If you don't mind my asking."

"You know, I never thought of it that way. I guess because we've been here all our lives and never traveled as far as the island." She answered with a shrug.

"And you guys have three boats. Why make a raft?" I raised an eyebrow and Kairi's face turn red.

"Don't you see that our boats are small?" She asked to avoid my question and I knew that she didn't have an answer. I shook my head and chose to ignore the subject. Once at the docks, I was the first one ashore.

"Why did you want to bring me here before the boys?" I whispered like they were listening.

"I thought you would like to see the secret place in person. I noticed that we never even came close to it yesterday." She said with a smile. I embraced her with open arms.

"Oh thank you Kairi!" I shrieked. We headed towards the secret place and my heart was pumping. She offered me to go first and I crawled as fast as I could down the twisting path. At the end of the tunnel I saw light shinning through the top of the cave and screamed.

"Oh my gosh! This is so cool!" I ran around to all the drawings and said what the picture was supposed to be. I stopped at the drawing Sora and Kairi drew together and stared at it with awe. I touched the drawing of Sora and giggled.

"Kairi. People back home think this is the cutest thing they've ever seen." I chuckled. Her blush intensified.

"R-really?" She stuttered and looked away bashfully. I then glanced at the door and my mood changed. Thinking what was behind that door, was it the reason these three went through so much?

"Jade? are you okay?" She placed her hand on my shoulder comfortingly and I shook my head to come back to reality.

"Yeah, sorry. I was going blank there for a moment." I lied. We walked out of the cave and wondered around until the boys came. The whole day we did nothing but finish the raft. The boys would ask me questions like Kairi did last night. There were times when Sora would be in his own little world. He would wonder off saying he was gathering food but I had a feeling that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. It bothered me that ever since I told him where I was from, he completely changed. I didn't like it cause I thought I was going to become friends with the Sora I fell in love with all those years. There were moments when I thought about my parents and if they noticed I was gone. But I was having too much fun to go home, not yet. One night, Kairi and I were staying up late talking about girl things when I heard a faint roll of thunder.

"No, not the storm!" I complained silently. Kairi ran to her window in terror.

"Oh no! The raft! Let's go check on it. Maybe Sora and Riku are already there!" She shrieked. I grabbed her wrist before she stepped through the door.

"Hey, let's see if I can teleport us there." I suggested. Kairi raised an eyebrow.

"Say what now?"

"I mean, I must be able to cause how was I able to get here?" I shrugged and Kairi allowed me to try. At first, I waited for something to happen but got nothing. Kairi grew impatient and I focused on the location harder. In minutes we were out of Kairi's warm and cozy room out into the cold air. An instant shiver ran up my spine and I rubbed my arms together as the rain stung my eyes. The howling wind made it hard to think. Behind Kairi on the pier, I saw a bright light and was almost blinded. In a few seconds it was gone.

"What was that?" I shouted over the wind and pointed to the pier. Kairi twirled around and then back to me.

"What's what?" She shrugged.

"There was a bright light all of a sudden." I squinted and saw a familiar figure standing there.

"Kairi look! It's Sora!" I pointed again and she glanced back.

"Sora!" She called and ran towards the shack that leads to the pier. A small dark shadow stood between us and the shack and I jumped in front of Kairi protectively.

"It's the heartless!" I screamed. The heartless jumped at us and I embraced Kairi making it so the heartless would only harm me. I was prepared to feel a small scratch but nothing happened. With a slight turn I saw Sora in a battle pose with his new keyblade. I never thought I would see this majestic weapon in person. It's beauty was beyond words and it shone within the darkness. Sora turned to us with concern.

"Are you girls okay?" He asked and Kairi responded with an embrace.

"Where'd you get that?" I pointed to the keyblade already knowing the answer. Sora shrugged.

"I don't know. I was trying to grab Riku's hand while darkness was surrounding us but then this bright light appeared and this was in my hand." More heartless showed up and Sora swung at them with no hesitation. He then gave me a determined look.

"Jade. Are you able to get Kairi out of here?" He asked grabbing my wrist.

"I can try. But I know what you're thinking and I'm not leaving you behind!" Sora stared at me.

"Please. For me, I have something important to do." He begged. I couldn't leave my best friend here, not like this. I looked at Kairi and then back to him.

"Can you promise me one thing? Keep Kairi safe for me!" He didn't give me a time to answer and pushed us out of the way of a heartless' attack. I grabbed Kairi's hand and pulled her through the shack's door and closed it before she ran after Sora. I held her hands tightly.

"Jade! What are you doing? We can't leave!" She shrieked. The sound of thunder rumbled over the creaking shack. I squeezed my eyes tight and told myself _Take us to Traverse Town_. It then felt like I was evaporating into thin air and within minutes, we were in the first district.

"What was that for? We left Sora with those THINGS!" tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Kairi, Sora begged me to. He wanted me to keep you safe. He made me do it!" I shouted back.

"I wanted to bring him too but he refused." I explained. She stopped making me feel guilty and I was able to have room to breathe. The town seemed a little too quiet. I took one step and another heartless appeared before us. I stopped Kairi from going any further.

"Those are the creatures from the island!" Kairi squealed. I held her shoulders tightly and gave her a pleading look.

"Kairi, I want you to run. You hear me?" I said demandingly.

"What? I'm not going to leave you here!" She refused being stubborn.

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. Please Kairi GO!" I pushed her forcefully before the heartless charged. There was a bright light and the majestic keyblade was in my hand. It looked the same as Sora's but the colors were slightly different. The blade was grey but the only change was of the handle being a dark shade of purple. It was like this weapon was made for me. I swung at the heartless and it disappeared in an instant.

"Whoa! Isn't that what Sora got at the island?" She asked pointing to the key.

"Yeah," I said looking at its beauty. A dozen more heartless appeared and I rolled my eyes.

"Can't you just leave us alone?" I shouted at them thinking they will understand me.

"Girls! In here!" A familiar voice shouted. I turned to find Cid from the Final Fantasy series urging us to run into his shop. I excitedly ran through and once we were in we slammed the door. We stood in front of it so the heartless wouldn't break through. Cid pushed us out of the way.

"Wait! Don't go out there!" Kairi begged but Cid blew them away with an odd canon. Kairi and I stared at him with shock.

"That was a close one!" Cid sighed. He laughed at our shocked faces.

"What can I do you for?" He asked.

"We are looking for our friends, Sora and Riku." Said Kairi.

"Have you seen them anywhere?" I added. A light bulb went off in Cid's head.

"Oh, I met a Sora not too long ago. He did mention something about you girls, asking me to look out for yeh." He said searching through his pockets for something. Kairi gave me a huge smile and blushed.

"Did you hear that Jade? Sora is thinking about me, I mean us!" I couldn't help but giggle at her mistake and patted her head playfully.

"So, did he give any instructions for us?" I shrugged at Cid. He pulled out a crinkled paper and handed it to me. It was a letter from Sora addressed to us. The letter hold us to go on an adventure and not to worry about him or Riku, and that we'll see each other again soon. Kairi took the letter and sighed. After that, we said our goodbyes and headed out to the town square. Hoping no more heartless will attack.

"I wonder where Sora is now." Kairi thought out loud. I was about to shrug when another familiar voice called to us.

"Are you the girls HE talked about?" I twirled to find Leon creeping around the corner of Cid's accessory shop and felt like I was going to faint. Kairi looked at me like I was crazy.

"Do you know Sora?" I asked trying to keep my cool. Leon nodded.

"Yes and he asked me to inform you on what's going on." Leon gestured us to follow and I gladly did. Leon brought us to the hotel I recognized. When we arrived, I shrieked when I saw Yuffie and Aerith waiting for us.

"You must be Jade and Kairi. Please have a seat." She offered us a spot on the hotel's bed. We got comfortable and the explanation began. We discussed about heartless, Ansem and his report and about the keyblade. In and out I would listen to the conversation cause I was deep in thought. Why was I able to use the keyblade? I'm an outsider, I'm not a character created for the series so why?

"Jade?" I was interrupted by the sound of Kairi's voice. I jumped and blinked at her.

"I'm sorry. Yeah?" I asked.

"Are you okay?" She cocked her head to the side with worry and I gave her a fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied.

"Is something on your mind?" Aerith asked with her gentle voice.

"I'm wondering why I'm able to use the keyblade, cause I'm an outsider. I shouldn't be able to..." I stared at the ground.

"Maybe it has something to do with Sora? Maybe you two are connected somehow." Aerith suggested.

"Could be a possibility," I agreed.

"Then how come I can't use the keysword?" Kairi asked.

"Keyblade" everyone corrected her in unison.

"Sorry."

"Maybe you're time will come Kairi." Aerith assured.

"Yeah...years later." She sighed. We talked some more with group when suddenly a lone heartless appeared. I summoned my keyblade and stood in front of Kairi protectively while Leon did the same for me. I almost forgot to keep my cool at the thought of Leon protecting me.

"You girls go on ahead! I got this!" Leon demanded. I pushed Kairi to move forward and called to Leon.

"If we don't see you again, thanks for everything Leon! Tell the girls that too!" I pulled Kairi through the door since she wasn't running at a face pace and ran us all the way back to the first district. When we reached the square, I fell on my stomach from lack of oxygen.

"You're not very athletic are you?" Kairi teased.

"Yeah, I wasn't really active back home." I laughed and brushed dirt off.

"I wonder how Leon is doing. I hated leaving Leon there by himself." I wondered aloud.

"Hey Jade, if I can't use that keyblade can I at least buy a weapon so I CAN defend myself?"

"Sure! We just got to look for a weapon shop." I said excitedly and glanced around the area. When I found a sign that read Weapon Shop, I took Kairi's hand a dragged her along. She gazed at all the beautiful swords, bows and arrows and shields that came along with the shop. Kairi walked over to the Bows and found one that was perfect for her. It looked like a hunter's bow but without the camouflage coloring.

"Until I am able to use the keyblade, I found my weapon!" Kairi showed it off with pride. We bought it and headed back to the square. Kairi gazed at her weapon's beauty as she swung the arrows across her back. I couldn't help but chuckle at her little moment of happiness.

"So, where do we go now?" Kairi asked holding dearly on to her new weapon like I was going to steal it. I had to think for a moment. I am definitely skipping wonderland, not going through that torture again! How about…well…honestly there aren't many great worlds to go to in this game. Wait! I know! A light bulb went off in my head and I took Kairi's hand excitedly.


	2. Training to be heroes

When I opened my eyes, I screamed in terror at the sight of Olympus Coliseum. I fell to my knees in shame.

"No! Stupid powers, I wanted Deep Jungle not this place!" I shrieked. Kairi jumped at my sudden cry.

"What's wrong with this place?" she shrugged. I gave her a horrified look.

"Kairi, you don't know what this place does to you!"

"What do we get tortured or something?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Worse. Tournaments…" I whispered.

"What are those?" She questioned. I lead her to the charts that were scribbled on from previous events.

"Allow me to demonstrate." I said pointing towards the boards.

"Is that Sora's name up there?" Kairi said with glee. I glanced to find his, Donald and Goofy's name at the very top.

"Yeah it is!" I smiled.

"Who are Donald and Goofy?" Kairi asked.

"Those are characters that are very popular in my dimension and Sora travels with them throughout the series." I gladly explained and Kairi giggled, she always did whenever I talked about my world. We decided to tour the coliseum even though I wasn't too thrilled on being here in the first place. I was thankful that I didn't have to hear that annoying song over and over again. I found the building where the character Phil, Hercules personal trainer was supposed to be and walked in like I was celebrity that needed no introduction.

"Hi there," Kairi said.

"Got two words for yeh, Tournaments are officially over." Phil said without giving us a chance to explain ourselves.

"Are you sure? The charts outside don't say so." Kairi snapped back.

"Look here wise guy." Phil angrily twirled around and jumped at the sight of us.

"Oh you're just girls."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked with my hands folded across my chest.

"Nothing, usually guys enter the tournaments." Phil said. Kairi and my face lit up thinking about a certain guy.

"Did you meet a guy named Sora?" Kairi asked.

"You mean the scrawny kid with the giant key?"

"This key?" I summoned my blade proudly. A smile grew on a Phil's face.

"Yeh, that's the one! I _do_ know him!" he cheered. "A junior hero I called him and his goofy friends." I couldn't help but chuckle at his little remark.

"Anyway, we were hoping that that would get us somewhere?" I said like I was unsure.

"Sorry, not going to happen." Phil lifts his hand from going any further.

"Look here mister goat man!" I shouted. "I've been through a lot and got this far, I'm not going to let you stop me!" Phil and Kairi stared at me in shock from my sudden anger.

"You don't have to get into the tournament but can you at least train us? Being friends with Sora should at least mean something!" I took a deep breath and waited patiently.

"S-sure," Phil shakily took us to the arena and set up a few obstacle courses for us to go through. He would have us do push-ups, hop over streams and train with us personally. We thought we were going at this for days but it was only a few hours. When we were finished, I collapsed from exhaustion. Kairi was still standing and laughed at my misfortune.

"You don't get out much in your world do you?" She asked teasingly. I mocked her laughing and stood on my knees.

"I couldn't do those many push-ups enough to save my life!" I whined. We agreed to take a break and I wanted to take a walk by myself to collect some thoughts. While walking, I ran into someone who I recognized as Cloud Strife from the final fantasy series. I held back my shriek as I saw him looking down at me with confusion.

"I'm so sorry." I blushed and looked away bashfully. He gave me no answer and I didn't know if he was angry at me for bumping into him or if he was silently laughing at me.

"No, my apologies miss. I wasn't watching where I was going." He said kindly. I was about to say something when a blood curdling scream came from Kairi.

"Jade, help me!" she shrieked. I summoned my keyblade and ran towards the source of her scream. I wanted nothing more than to be alone with Cloud but my friend's safety was important.

"Hold on Kairi! I'm coming!" I called back. I ran through the arena entrance to find the one and only Sephiroth, Cloud's worst enemy, standing before me with Kairi held captive in his arms.

"Kairi!" I shouted. Sephiroth's long silver hair swayed in the wind as he gave me a devious smile.

"Let her go Sephiroth!" I gasped soon after realizing that he didn't tell me his name.

"Interesting, you knew my name even though I never gave it to you." He smirked.

"What do you want?" I asked to regain my coolness. I noticed Sephiroth admiring my keyblade.

"You possess that weapon that kid has." He chuckled. I held my poker face because I didn't want to give away that I knew Sora.

"What do you want?" I wanted to change the subject.

"If you want your friend back alive, give me that keyblade and I will let her go." He offered. I had to think for a moment, would I give up this weapon for Kairi? What would Sephiroth do with it? What would Sora do? Sephiroth pressed his long sword against Kairi's throat.

"If you won't hand me that key, you can kiss your friend's life goodbye." I reached out my hand.

"No! I'll give it to you. Please don't hurt her!" I begged. Kairi shook her head and pleaded for me to run as I handed Sephiroth my keyblade. Just as he was about to touch it, Cloud's humongous sword blocked his path, almost slicing his hand off. My eyes lit up at the thought of this wonderful man protecting me from Sephiroth.

"Leave the girls alone!" Cloud threatened. Sephiroth gave his devious smile and surprisingly released Kairi. She ran into my arms and quietly sobbed.

"I'm sorry Jade. I'm so sorry." She wept. I stroked the back of her head comfortingly.

"It's okay; it's not your fault." I assured. After she settled down, I held her soft hands tightly.

"Can you do me a favor? Go hide someplace safe for me?" I asked in a whisper. She sniffed and nodded quickly. We gave each other a hug and she ran off. I prepared myself and ran to Cloud's side. In a fighting pose similar to Sora's, I gave Sephiroth a look I wanted to give him for years to let him know that he made me very angry.

"You two think you can beat me?" Sephiroth asked revealing his cockiness.

"By the way you ticked me off; I _know_ I'll be able to defeat you!" I snapped. Cloud was the first to strike and swung his sword, almost taking me out in the process. During the fight, Sephiroth's sword nicked me a couple of times. Because of this being a virtual world, I thought I wouldn't feel any pain. When the tip of the sword pricked my shoulder blade, I felt a mild sting. I could see horrible bruises growing on my arm and legs and who knows what my face looks like. At first, Cloud and I were not working together and Sephiroth seemed to have the upper hand. I pulled Cloud aside to discuss the situation quickly.

"Cloud, we need to work together. We're getting nowhere." I said not sugar coating it.

"You're right…" he paused and I knew he wanted to say my name.

"Jade" I said and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you,"

"Nice to meet you Miss Jade, want to work together take this loser down?"

"You have no idea." I chuckled.

"How about, you attack him on one side and me the other?" I suggested. Cloud nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." He agreed and charged at Sephiroth's left leaving me with the right. This time, we were in sync and kicking the living crap out of him. I loved the idea knowing how much I've hated Sephiroth. After a couple of rounds, Sephiroth was almost on the ground in defeat. Cloud gave him a final blow with one of his special moves.

"This is for kidnapping Kairi!" I shouted before I swung my keyblade and Sephiroth was finally on the ground. I walked over to Cloud and gave him a high five. I was surprised he gave me one back knowing his personality.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." I laughed and scratched the back of my head

"Thanks for everything Cloud. It was an honor working together with you." We shook hands again.

"I'm sorry but how do you know my name? I know for a fact that I never even mentioned it." Cloud asked and my heart stopped. Sephiroth asked the same question before our fight.

"I can…read minds?" I asked unsure of myself.

"Hmmm, alright," Cloud shrugs and was about to walk away.

"Oh wait. I wanted to ask you something." I called before he vanished on me.

"Did you run into a boy named Sora? That girl Kairi and I are looking for him." I asked. Cloud looked surprise.

"With brown spikey hair and wields that same weapon?" he asked pointing to my keyblade. My eyes lit up with joy

"Yeah, that's him!" I shrieked. "Did he mention anything about us or where he was going?"

"No. Sorry, I gave him some advice and that was the only time I spoke with him." He said and turned away. I waved even though he wouldn't see and ran off to find Kairi. I walked out of the arena and had a small heart attack when Kairi jumped out from behind a pillar.

"Boo!" she shouted and I let out a loud shriek. I placed a hand over my chest as I caught my breath. I lightly bumped her head.

"Don't care me like that!" I sighed.

"Sorry." She chuckled. "So did you beat that guy to a pulp?" she asked raising her fist.

"You bet!" I patted her shoulder. "Why did Sephiroth want you in the first place?" I asked.

"I don't know. When he approached me he asked if I was one of the princesses of heart and just kidnapped me." She shrugged. I grabbed my chin and thought why Sephiroth would need her when he wasn't part of the original plan. Was it because of her heart filled with light? I decided to let go and held her hands.

"What world are we going to now? Did that blonde hair guy give you any clues?" she asked with her eyes lighting up with hope. I shook my head.

"He said that he ran into him but Cloud only gave him advice." I raised the right side of my mouth and shrugged once again and decided to move on. I was about to teleport when Phil stopped us.

"Girls wait! I wanted to talk to you for a second." He called. The two of us chuckled watching him run towards us.

"What's up?" Kairi asked.

"I wanted to tell you that you girls have spunk just like that kid you asked about, that Sora." Phil complimented.

"Aw thanks." Kairi giggled.

"If Sora ever came back, tell him that we're okay and that we say hi." I laughed.

"Hey Phil, thanks for training us!" Kairi called to him as he headed back to the arena. His response was just a wave and that was that. I then closed my eyes and thought on where to go to next. I thought it'd save us some trouble and go to the worlds that were important. I shivered at the thought of monstro and being inside that huge whale and getting lost. I pictured the mouth of the whale and held onto Kairi. Not prepared for what was going to happen next.


	3. A Monstrous Reunion

I knew I was in the right place when I heard the nasty sounds of a whale's stomach. I cringed at the disgusting sound. The gigantic white teeth and rosy colored gums gave away that we were in the mouth of Monstro.

"Why did you bring us to this place?" Kairi asked brushing against me as if someone was going to attack.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain…" I said shrugging.

"Does it have to do with the story?" Kairi asked with a raised eyebrow. I responded with a smile. Kairi's body violently twitched and she gagged at the stench I now smelled. Shaking off the aroma, I grabbed Kairi's wrist and pulled her along knowing where we needed to go. I used my arm to block out the smell but it was not enough. We got to what looked like the hut where Geppetto and Pinocchio resided in. My eyes widened at the sight of a familiar face. Sora was with Geppetto on top of the hut. I glanced at Kairi, who was pinching her nose, and smiled.

"Kairi look who it is!" I shrieked excitedly. Her eyes widened and she squealed like a crazed fan girl and ran ahead of me. I watched as Sora and Gheppetto slowly turned back at us. The look on Sora's face worried me; it was as if he thought he was screwed because we ran into him. I gave him a fake smile as Kairi embraced him.

"Oh Sora it's really you!" she cried. I knew Sora was pretending to be happy to see us cause of the look in his eyes. I approached the two lovebirds and we gave each other a group hug.

"Where have you been mister?" I asked with my hands on my hips and a raised eyebrow.

"I've been looking for Riku." He said.

"And you never bothered to look for us?" Kairi asked sassy tone. Sora scratched the back of his head.

"I knew you girls were in cable hands," he answered unsure of himself. Kairi shrugged and gave Sora another hug.

"Now we can all three look for Riku together and go home!" she laughed.

After the short reunion, Geppetto introduced Kairi and me to Pinocchio. I tried to show interest but I was too distracted at what Sora said. Was it _really_ because he was looking for Riku or was it something else? I was deep in thought to pay attention what was going on and I hoped no one would take me out of my thoughts. There was a sudden scream and I haven't realized that Pinocchio was missing. Sora offered Geppetto to help him and ran off without warning.

"Sora, where are you going?" Kairi called and followed. I shook my head to come back and chased after Kairi.

"Kairi, wait for me!"

She disappeared through the opening that leads to the whale's stomach before I could reach her. That was not good, knowing how lost you can get in there.

"Kairi, don't run too far ahead or we'll get lost! I don't want to lose you!" I shouted, hoping she would hear me. I saw her about to run through another opening and stopped her just in time. I reached for her wrist before she took another step.

"Girl, you don't know how to listen do you?" I asked as if I was scolding her. She tried to get free.

"Jade, let me go! I don't want to lose Sora again!" she demanded. My heart melted hearing her say that.

"I know, but don't leave my sight. When I played this world, I got lost and couldn't find my way out for a long time. Please, stay with me." I begged. She hesitated for a moment but finally obeyed. I held her hand and lead us through all the twist and turns. We had to retrace our steps like I did in the game. The two of us dared not to speak to each other and I was okay with that because I needed to concentrate on where we had to go. I sighed with relief when I saw Sora standing before Riku who was holding an unconscious Pinocchio.

"Riku, what are you doing here?" Sora asked

"Don't you realize what you're doing?" Kairi shrieked.

"I was going to ask you three the same thing." Riku said deviously.

"What?" we asked in unison.

"Instead of looking for me, you three were interested running around showing off your keyblades."

"Riku, I don't have a keyblade." Kairi pouted and held out her bow.

"Whatever." Riku shrugged.

"Riku, please stop this!" I pleaded.

"Quiet outsider!" Riku hissed.

"Riku let Pinocchio go!" Sora begged.

"Sora, do you have what it takes to be a key bearer? You can't even save this little puppet." Riku teased. Sora looked stunned at Riku's words and glanced away with sadness filled in his eyes. Was he hurt by what Riku said? Why was Riku acting this way? A light bulb went off in my head when I suddenly remembered Riku was tricked by Maleficent.

"Why are you being so mean Riku?" Kairi asked. Riku responded with a smile.

"Oh Kairi, you shouldn't be traveling with these _losers_. You should be with me so that you don't have to fear the darkness." Riku offered. Kairi stomped her foot.

"Over my _dead_ body." She snapped.

"How can you call Sora, you're best friend, a loser Riku? You're the one who's being the loser." I said to get him back.

"What gives you the right to say that to _me_? Don't make me laugh." He chuckled. I looked at Sora who was deep in thought with the same sad look. I placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly to bring him back.

"Sora, are you alright?" I asked with my head cocked to the side.

"You're being a dumb-dumb Riku!" Kairi said.

"Are you jealous of Sora? Is that why you're picking on him so much?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. It seemed like I hit the spot because his body grew stiff. He shook his head and gave us a devious smile. With the raise of his hand, a heartless appeared. But this one was different.

It was round and had a cage for a mouth, it's arms flailed in all kinds of directions. Riku placed Pinocchio in the mouth cage and disappeared behind a portal. _That coward _I thought to myself. I summoned my keyblade and got into a battle position, trying not to imitate Sora this time. Kairi readied her bow and aimed at the heartless. She gave me a pouting face and I couldn't help but smile.

"What's wrong Kairi?" I had to ask.

"I wish I can summon a keyblade like you guys can. Why can't I?"

"Maybe your time will come." Sora said with a fake expression. I gave him a quick nod and charged at the heartless with all my might. During the battle, Sora would get knocked around.

"Sora what's up, you can do better than that right?" I would call to him.

"Yeah…" was all he would say. But I think saying that helped because he was in the zone this time. The three of us were actually working together and I loved it. A couple minutes later, we defeated the monster and freed Pinocchio. Before heading back to the mouth of the whale, Sora stopped us.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry but I can't go with you." He said nervously. Kairi twirled around.

"What? I'm not losing you again Sora." She demanded. He scratched the back of his head.

"There are some things I need to take care of on my own." He lied.

"Is that _really_ the reason Sora?" I asked fed up with his attitude. I knew that he wasn't expecting that.

"Sora, please don't leave. We found each other at last. The three of us can look for Riku together." Kairi begged.

"I'm sorry Kairi." He said.

"Hey, Jade. Take care of her…" he sounded as if we were never going to see each other again, and with that, he was gone.

"Sora…" Kairi said and fell to her knees. I walked over and patted her shoulder.

"Come on Kairi let's go." I said and held her hand along with Pinocchio and walked to the mouth of the whale. We got some relief when we watched as Pinocchio ran to his father and they laughed and had a wonderful reunion.

"What happened to that young boy?" Geppetto asked. Kairi looked like she was on the verge of crying and I wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.

"He had to go somewhere. We weren't allowed to come along." I answered sadly.

"He seems like a strong lad, I'm sure he'll be just fine!" Geppetto said assuring. I hid my sadness with a fake smile.

"You know, I can get you both out of here." I offered. Geppetto and Pinocchio's faces lit up.

"Really, how?" they asked in unison.

"Jade has the ability to teleport. That's we got here," Kairi answered for me.

"But why would you want to be in the mouth of the whale?" Pinocchio asked with child-like curiosity. I can't tell him everything about being inside a video game.

"Well, I had a hunch that our friend was here," I let out a nervous laugh. It was kind of the truth but I had to twist it a little. The two believed my little white lie and agreed to allow me to them home. I outstretched my hands for them to grab.

"Where to?" Kairi asked.

"Traverse town. Our home was destroyed by the darkness." Geppetto explained. Kairi held my free hand and I concentrated on our next destination.

"It may feel a little strange but it doesn't hurt or anything. Trust me," Kairi said as she placed a hand over her chest. As it felt like we were being sucked into a black hole, we were teleported to Traverse town in minutes.


	4. Deal Over Sacrifice

The four of us arrived in the town's square. With a sigh of relief and a million thanks, Geppetto and Pinocchio headed off in a certain direction. I couldn't help but smile at the two walking away happily that they made it home safely. Before I said anything, Kairi grabbed my wrist tightly. She wore a sad expression that made my heart melt.

"Kairi, what's wrong?" I asked with a high pitched voice.

"It's Sora, I'm worried about him." She sighed. I don't blame her.

"We could've searched for Riku and go home together." She sobbed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her head into my chest.

"Don't worry, we'll find him and Riku and go home together." I said as I held her cheeks between my hands. I wiped her tears away with my thumbs.

"You know, I think he was upset at what Riku said and he wanted to be alone. He'll come to and search for us again." I rubbed her cheeks.

"You think so?" she sniffed.

"I know so." I nodded. "I actually have this feeling, I know where Riku is. Do you want to go and confront him?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, he needs a beating after what he did to my Sora!" She said proudly. I placed a hand on my hip sassily to tease her. Her face went white realizing what she said. I outstretched my hand and she gladly took it. I concentrated on Neverland and Captain Hook's pirate ship. Within the blink of an eye, we were there. Stars were shining brightly above and you could hear the sound of waves, reminding us of Destiny Islands. We were surprisingly on the main deck of the ship but the bad part was, little heartless were surrounding us, dancing happily at their next victims. I stood in front of Kairi protectively as she readied her bow and arrow. I summoned my keyblade as the heartless leaped but they suddenly stopped. I observed the deck and gasped when I saw Riku standing on a high platform. He looked down on us like we were pathetic.

"Riku!" Kairi shrieked. She was about to run up to him but I stopped her with my arm. With a determined look, I glanced at her hoping she would obey my wishes.

"Look who decided to show up. I knew you two would come here sooner or later." Riku said with a devious grin. I gave him my infamous death glare hoping to warn him I was not in a good mood to be messed with.

"Kairi, if you come with me I can take you to Sora." He offered. Kairi eyes lit up

up at the thought of seeing Sora again.

"I'm not letting her go _anywhere_ with you!" I demanded. His only response was his lips curving into a smile.

"Alright then." With the snap of his fingers pirates brought a familiar face into view. A gasp escaped Kairi's lips and her hands covered her mouth. I placed a hand on her back for comfort. Sora dared not to meet our gaze and stared at the deck like he was ashamed.

"If you won't come with us Kairi, then I'll have a heartless destroy him." Riku threatened. My heart stopped seeing Riku push Sora around like a big bully.

"Riku, he's your best friend! How can you do this?" I shouted with my fists clenched.

"He's no longer my friend." He snarled.

"You've been tricked haven't you?" I asked remembering Maleficent telling him lies.

"I was told the truth outsider. Something you would _never _understand."

Words couldn't describe how I was feeling, what went wrong that the story was completely out of order? Why was Riku threatening his friends when he would do anything for them?

"Riku, take me instead." I offered, hoping he would agree.

"You're not the one I want. I want her." He said pointing to Kairi.

"Jade, please take Kairi and get out of here. I'll be fine." Sora begged. I wanted to exactly that but leave with both him and Kairi. A tiny heartless appeared and crept closer to Sora threatening to take his heart at any moment.

"Wait, I'll go but please, don't hurt him." Kairi pleaded. She stepped towards Riku but I reached for her wrist.

"What are you doing?" I shrieked as my eyes widened.

"He'll hurt Sora if I don't do something Jade. I have to," her eyes changed like there was no life in them, was she that worried about him it was killing her emotionally? She pulled her hand free and approached Riku.

"I'm yours on one condition." I couldn't see but I knew she gave him a determined look.

"Of course,"

"You leave Sora and Jade alone." Riku didn't say anything but untied Sora and shoved him aside. Once he had Kairi in his grasp he summoned heartless and I got in a battle position.

"You traitor!" I shouted as he dragged Kairi through a dark portal and disappeared.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted but was too late. Sora summoned his own keyblade and took out the heartless on his side. When the heartless were taken care of, I ran to Sora's side. I was about to reach out but he swat my hand away.

"How could you?" he growled. He shot me a look and I felt like I died inside when I saw him on the brink of crying.

"Kairi's in danger because of _you_." He was so angry and I wouldn't blame him.

"Sora, you should've seen the look she gave me. She was desperate to keep you safe." I shouted back.

"I asked you to protect her no matter what and now you broke your promise!"

"Don't you dare say that, I've been doing nothing but protecting her, where were you? Why was I given the responsibility when you could've done it yourself?" I spoke through my teeth.

"I was looking for Riku, that's where." He snapped.

"You never bothered to look for _us_? Kairi was worried _sick_ about you…"

"You want to know why I didn't come looking for you? Cause of the places I've been too, Kairi would've been in danger and I wouldn't be able to protect her."

"Where did you go that was so dangerous?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I'm sorry. I should've looked for you." I knew he was avoiding the question and I didn't like it but decided to let it go. I held onto his shoulders and my fingers dug into his skin.

"I understand, you're upset, I wouldn't blame you for hating me." I sighed. "But we are together now and should work together to bring back Kairi. " I said with a slight nod. I held his hands gently.

"What are you doing?" he asked a little frightened.

"How were Kairi and I able to get around without a gummi ship?" I asked in a teasing tone. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"I have the ability to teleport and I told you that this world is a game right? I know where we have to go to next." I giggled and squeezed. I concentrated on the very place where the important events of the this series began.

When I opened my eyes, my body grew stiff when I saw we arrived at Hollow Bastion. We were standing in front of the gate, thankfully. Sora dared not to let go of my hand, I could feel it squeezing mine tightly almost to the point where the blood was leaving it. We didn't say a word to but I knew we were mentally preparing ourselves for what was about to happen. I turned to my best friend with worry.

"You ready?" I asked. He nodded staring at the castle and headed for the gate still holding my hand. It felt cold and that scared me, but it was no doubt that he was terrified for Kairi's sake. We were about to step through when a familiar voice stopped us.

"Well, well look who it is. Kairi's rescue squad," Riku teased. My fingers wrapped around Sora's hand and glanced at Riku.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to pick on us?" I asked. All Riku gave me was devious laugh. "Where's Kairi?" Sora demanded.

"Who knows" Riku shrugged. "But here's a little gift for you." Riku said as he tossed a wooden sword that was the one you used back on the island

"You're new sword." He said with a grin. Suddenly, Sora's keyblade appeared and as if Riku was pulling it away by an invisible force, Sora struggled to hold it back. I tried my best to help but the keyblade disappeared from our grip and landed in Riku's hand.

"How is that possible?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Sora doesn't have what it takes to master the keyblade." Riku said as he gazed at the majestic weapon.

"And you think _you_ can?" Sora snapped back. I was surprised but happy that Sora was sticking up for himself.

"You can see how much stronger I am and who the_ real_ keyblade master is."

"Sora's the true keyblade master! Not you!" I growled.

"Shut it outsider! Neither you nor this loser has what it takes to be keyblade masters or save Kairi." Riku said before disappearing into a dark portal. Sora fell to his knees in shame at the wooden sword, he didn't say a word. I quietly walked over to him and held his shoulders/

"Don't you dare believe a word he says alright Sora?" I said firmly. He dared not to meet my gaze but he nodded in response.

"Right." He got to his knees and with the wooden sword in hand, he headed for the gates.

As we crept through the corridors of the castle, the only thing you could hear was our footsteps. There was an eerie silence between us and I didn't like it

"Jade?" Sora said to break the silence. "Why do you Riku wanted Kairi so much? What was special about her?"

"I have an idea as to why but I'm not positively sure." I scratched the back of my head. He fell silent letting me time to explain.

"How the adventure was supposed to be, the bad guys were going around kidnapping princesses because they were filled with light." I paused to see if Sora had any input.

"And I think Kairi is a princess." I hesitated to say that but Sora needed to know to put him at ease.

"K-Kairi's a princess?" Sora asked stunned. All I did was nod.

"Yes and since the bad guys are so fixed on getting rid of light, they need her for something important that's in her plan." I couldn't go into too much detail because I didn't want to spoil anything. Satisfied, Sora walked on ahead without saying a word. Was he processing what I just told him? After walking for what seemed like hours, I had to get some rest. It felt like my ankles were about to snap from the weight of my body because of how weak they were. I fell to my knees and let out a satisfied sigh. Sora was not happy at my stopping.

"Jade, what are you doing? Kairi's waiting for us." He snapped.

"Sora, I am human you know. I haven't had a chance to sit ever since we left the island, cut me some slack." I panted. Sora stood there impatiently with his arms crossed and tapped his enormous shoe. It was so loud our enemies could probably hear us on the other side of the castle.

"Do you _mind_? Someone might hear." I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry that I'm worried sick about Kairi." He scowled.

"I'm worried too but you shouldn't get worked up."

I gave him my infamous glare to shut him up but he shot me one back. I wouldn't blame him for being so worried, I mean his best friend, the girl he cares for more than anything is in danger and all I'm doing is taking a quick rest, now of all places? But to see his unnecessary worrying, I got to my aching feet and stomped ahead of him. Each step brought a slight sting that shot up my leg. I held a poker face but I pressed my lips together so that a cry of pain wouldn't escape. We walked another few miles when Sora stopped dead in tracks.

"What, are _your_ feet hurting now?" I asked teasingly. My heart sank when I saw Sora's head fall in shame with bangs covering his eyes.

"What if Riku's right?" he sighed. "Do I have what it takes to be a key bearer let alone rescue Kairi?"

I strode over to him and held his shoulders firmly.

"Sora, look at me." I demanded and he obeyed.

"You got to stop beating yourself up. The Sora I knew was the greatest key bearer ever and he believed in himself. The Sora I looked up to got me through some rough spots in my life and taught me to value the friends I had." I felt like I was going to cry saying this out loud. But I held back my tears to be strong for Sora.

"In my world you may be fictional but to me, you are real. You're my best friend and I hate seeing my friends upset so please…" I poked Sora's cheek. "Smile for me? If not for me then at least for Kairi." I said with a smile.

After that, Sora gained his confidence and we explored more of the castle. You would think since I already played this game I would know where to go, but honestly, this place is like a maze. I couldn't tell my left to my right in this castle because of the thousands of twists and turns. But we ended up in the library after following my instincts on where I thought we should go. The library was just as confusing as the castle itself. As we walked along the bookshelves to find the exit, Sora let out a little cry that startled me.

"Sora are you okay?" I asked twirling around. He held his head between his hands and brushed against the bookshelf. I didn't know what to do; all I could was to hold him comfortingly. The next thing I did was hold his shoulders until he stopped. He looked around like he was confused.

"You alright?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think so." He answered.

"What was that all about? I was about to panic." I laughed to try and ease the awkwardness.

"I was having this vision that was like a memory. I was looking down over there." He pointed to the corner of the library I haven't noticed that had a lone table and chair.

"Kairi was a little girl and she was listening to her grandma." He said while scratching his cheek. I chuckled remembering what that scene was but then realized that it happened at the wrong place and time. What's happening? Why is the story changing so much just because I came here? I shook that thought aside and focused on getting out of the library. I held Sora's hand and pulled us along. I sighed with relief when we found the exit. Sora and I looked at each other with a smile and ran for it but skidded to a stop when we were standing in front of a strange contraption. I fell to my knees in defeat.

"That's it! I give up! We're lost in here forever! Good-bye cruel world!" I said dramatically as I fell on the ground pretending to die from exhaustion.

Sora headed towards the left side of the platform and I thought he was going to fall.

"Sora what are you doing?" I shrieked holding his wrist. He pointed to the other side, I saw a door.

"Maybe we can jump over there." Sora said like it was a billion dollar plan.

"Uh, hello, don't you see the lightning bolts blocking our path?" I pointed to the bolts.

"Wait, what about your powers? Couldn't you bring us to where Kairi is?" Sora asked grabbing my hands. I jumped at his sudden movement.

"S-sure," I said with a nod. I closed my eyes and thought of Kairi's supposed location. My powers took us to a certain part of the castle that I recognized.

"What are _you _still doing here?" A familiar voice asked. I turned to find Riku with an angry look.

"This isn't a playground, get lost!" he demanded.

"Not without Kairi." Sora said firmly and I couldn't help but smile.

"Then the darkness will destroy you." Riku smirked.

"I'm here to save Kairi." Sora's hands clenched into fists, I knew that Sora was finally standing up for himself and I loved that. Maybe my speech did some good after all.

"Don't make me laugh." Riku chuckled and raised his hand. A magic spell was released and aimed for Sora. I summoned my keyblade and blocked the attack just in time but it's force was so strong it knocked me into Sora almost making us fall over.

"Sora's not going anywhere!" I shouted with a determined look.

"Pathetic," Riku snickered.

"I'm being a true friend unlike _you_." I teased with a grin.

"Hmph, Sora using a girl to help solve his problems. Cause you have no power is that it?"

"Real power comes when people care about you." I snapped back.

"It comes from your heart." Sora said with confidence. I glanced back at Sora and we gave each other a slight nod. Sora clenched the wooden sword's handle.

"I'll always be strong, as long as there's someone to think of me."

_Trust me, back home there are millions of people thinking about you _I thought with a smile. A bright light shone from the wooden sword and the majestic keyblade appeared in his hands. I thought I was going to cry watching this happen in this unfold before my eyes.

"My friends are my power!" Sora shouted and got into a battle position.

"How can a heart protect anything?" Riku asked. I charged at him and as soon as I gave one swing, he disappeared into the darkness.

"Coward," I murmured. Sora placed a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"Come on, let's go find Kairi." He grinned. I nodded and ran ahead of him.

"Hey wait up!" he called playfully.

"Got to keep up!" I shouted back. We ran through the hallways thinking that we were going to see our best friend again, safe and sound. Our little bit of happiness was cut short when we stepped through the door to find Riku pierce Maleficent with a keyblade and she vanished.

"What…Riku?" Sora asked shocked. I outstretched my arm preventing Sora from going any further.

"Sora, that's not Riku. Were you told of a guy named Ansem?" I whispered. Sora's eyes widened with fear giving me the answer I wanted.

"I believe he possessed Riku, watch your back." I warned.

"You are correct my dear outsider," Riku voice sounded demonic, I could hear Ansem's hidden. My eyebrows rose greatly at how well his hearing was. I was trying so hard not to make fun his outfit since he was wearing the one where it looks like he's wearing a skirt.

"It is I, Ansem. The seeker of darkness," Ansem said proudly.

"Whoever you are, let Riku go!" Sora begged. "Give him back his heart."

With the snap of Ansem's fingers, Sora let out a small cry of pain and pressed against his chest over his heart and fell to his knees.

"Sora!" I shrieked and stood by his side.

"Why don't you give the princess your heart instead?" Ansem asked with a devious grin. How can she still be in his heart when she wasn't even in the cave at the island? Kairi was with me the whole time. It suddenly hit me when I remembered back at the ship when she looked at me, her eyes were lifeless like a zombie._ That must've been when she lost her heart! _

"K-kairi…" Sora stuttered and reached out to the spot she was laying on the ground. She looked like a doll and it scared me. Sora tried to stand but I reached for him protectively.

"Don't strain yourself, please." I patted his back comfortingly.

"What are you talking about Ansem?" Sora asked.

"Don't you see yet? The princesses' heart is responding. It has been there all along Kairi's heart rests within you!" he said as if Sora was supposed to know.

"Kairi's inside me?" Sora glanced at me with a; _you failed to mention that _kind of look.

"The keyhole cannot be complete so long as the last princess of heart still sleeps." He said as he approached us. Sora gently pushed me aside to stand on his feet.

"Forget it, there's no way you're taking Kairi's heart." He said firmly. He glared at Riku with a very angry look.

"Very well, then I will just have to eliminate you." Ansem said as he raised his keyblade at Sora. Before he could reach, I pushed Sora out of the way and felt the blade strike through my heart. I fell to my knees and then crashed to the ground. My body grew weak as I laid there. I looked where the blade stabbed me to find a small cut with no blood which I found a bit odd. I felt Sora's arms cradle me and heard his beating heart and Kairir's too, over Sora's cries.

"Why did you do that?" he shrieked. I had enough strength to look at his tear covered face.

"Because…you're my friend," I struggled to say and his crying continued.

"Tell Kairi, I said thanks for being a great friend…oh and Riku too." I chuckled.

"Jade, don't go, we going to get through this and go home." He cried. I gently rubbed the tears from his face.

"I'm glad I did this…for you Sora, be strong." Was the last thing I said before I was surrounded in darkness. It was true what I said, I wanted to protect Sora. As I floated through the darkness, images of Sora, Riku, Kairi, my friends and my parents were slowly appearing and disappeared in the blink of an eye. I wanted to reach out hope they would do the same but somehow I couldn't move, I continued to float in space.

_Are you Jade_? A familiar voice asked. It didn't sound like Sora but the voice still felt friendly.

_Yes I am. Who are you_? I answered with my thoughts.

_I am friend who helps guide people through the dark._

_Are you Sora's heart by any chance_? I had to ask.

_You're not from here are you? _Sora's heart asked and I knew I was right.

_Not entirely, haven't you been listening when I told Sora and the others on the island?_ I asked in a teasing tone.

_I forgot, my apologies. But getting back to business,_

_Am I going to be trapped here forever_? I asked worried.

_No, you were brought here for something important. Your time isn't up quite yet. _

_Please tell me, what am I meant to do_?

_That is meant for another time_ Sora's heart said and with that, there was a bright light that almost blinded me. Within minutes, I was standing in front of the keyhole and found Kairi on her knees crying.

"Kairi?" I asked with a high pitched voice. Kairi looked up with her eyes filled with tears.

"Jade? Is that you?" she sniffed and ran to me with open arms. I stroke her silky smooth hair to calm her down.

"Oh Jade. I'm so glad you're back." She sobbed.

"What happened to Sora?" I asked looking around to find he wasn't there.

"He sacrificed himself to save me. I wish there was something I could've done." Her head fell in shame.

"Was that why I was able to come back?" I asked myself.

"What, happened to you? What do you mean come back?" Kairi asked like she was about to explode with tears again.

"I stepped in front of Sora protecting him from being killed, was that all for nothing?" I asked and it seemed like I was going to cry.

"No, don't think like that!" she held my shoulders firmly.

"You have awakened at last princess. The keyhole is now complete, you have served your purpose but now it's over." Ansem said deviously.

I summoned my keyblade and stood in a protective stance.

"You think you can defeat me?" he asked. I clenched the handle of the keyblade as a response.

"No, you will not use me for this!" Riku shouted and a transparent Riku was standing in front of Ansem.

"Riku!" Kairi shouted.

"You got to run! The heartless are coming!" Riku shouted. I took Kairi's hand and dragged her along behind me as we ran across the room to the other side. We went through another maze until we reach the room Sora and I found Riku for the first time in this castle. I fell to my knees to catch some air.

"We should probably get out of here while we still can." I gasped.

"No, I'm not leaving here without the boys!" she said stomping her foot.

"Kairi, heartless are pouring out of that keyhole, we won't be able to take them all out by ourselves. Besides, I promised Sora to keep you safe and Riku told us to run."

"But…" she was about to give me a lecture but I had to stop her because I saw a heartless dancing towards us. I stood in front of her with my keyblade at the ready. I was about to swing when Kairi stopped me.

"Wait!" she shouted and strode over to the tiny heartless. My heart stopped thinking it was going to attack her at any moment. She knelt in front of the heartless with compassion.

"Kairi what are you doing?" I shrieked.

"It's Sora! This heartless is Sora!" she cried with excitement. I gave myself a face palm as punishment for being stupid.

"Really? How can you tell?" I asked walking over cautiously.

"I can feel it. If you look closely his calves are shaped the same." She said with a smile as she wrapped her arms around the heartless.

"Sora, please come back to me!" she sobbed quietly. There was a small flash and sparkles were suddenly falling around us. The next thing I saw was Sora hugging Kairi back.

"Kairi, thank you." He whispered in her ear. This time, I couldn't help but cry at this beautiful moment. Something I thought I'd never get to see. After giving them some time, I outstretched my arms and gave them a group hug. They didn't complain or push me off which made me happy.

"Jade why are _you_ crying?" Sora laughed.

"That was so beautiful! I never thought I'd get to see this in person." Tears were probably soaking into their skin. They released from each other's grip and then hugged me to calm my nerves.

"Jade you're so silly." Kairi giggled.

"Thanks, laugh at my crying why don't you?" I laughed throw my obnoxious sobs. After I settled down, things were quiet.

"Where to?" Sora shrugged.

"Uh Sora, we need to seal the keyhole." I pointed in the opposite direction.

"Alright! Let's go!" Sora said with a smile and took Kairi's hand.

"Who are you and what have you done with Sora?" I chuckled as we walked through the same maze. Thankfully it was easy to endure this time. I noticed the whole time Sora and Kairi dared not to let go of each other's hands and a smile curved on my lips.

"I will stop the darkness!" Sora shouted when we approached the keyhole that was getting darker by the minute.

"That guy's not going to get away from this!" He raised the keyblade in the air.

"By that guy do you mean Ansem?" I asked.

"No Jade. By that guy, I meant Kairi." He said sarcastically pointing to Kairi with his thumb. Sora held the keyblade and aimed it at the keyhole. A bright light beamed from the tip and with a small clicking sound, it was locked. The three of us cheered when suddenly Leon and the others appeared with the princesses.

"Well look who's here!" Leon said with a grin. All of us gave them the heads up on what went down. After the short conversation, I pulled Sora to the side to discuss something in private.

"Why did you sacrifice yourself? I did what I did to prevent you from getting hurt!" I yelled in a whisper.

"I'm grateful for that but Jade, it was the only way to free Kairi." He said with puppy dog eyes. My response was a simple friend hug.

"I thought I was never going to get back so quickly." I whispered in his ear.

"What was it like for you? Being trapped in the darkness?" I asked.

"I was lost and couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started to forget things, my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then, I heard Kairi's voice and yours too. You guys brought me back." He whispered back and I gave him another squeeze.

"What happened to you? I thought I lost you." It sounded like he was about to cry.

"Well, I was like you at first, floating there when your heart was talking to me. It told me that I was meant for something important but I don't know yet what it is." I said with a shrug. Sora placed his hands on my shoulders with a comforting smile.

"You'll find out eventually." He laughed. Kairi strode over and leaped on Sora for a hug.

"What you guys talking about?" She asked as she rubbed her cheek against Sora's.


	5. The End Of a Long Journey

Sora gave Kairi a quick kiss on the cheek and I couldn't help but squeal like I saw a celebrity. They looked at me with raised eyebrows and all I did was laugh.

"Do you have the giggles Jade?" Kairi asked still holding onto Sora.

"Sorry, it's just that you guys are so cute." I scratched the back of my head embarrassed. Sora gave a half smile and looked at Kairi like she was something beautiful with sad eyes. I knew things were about to get dicey.

"Sorry girls, but I have some unfinished business to take care of." Sora said daring not to look at us. Kairi reached for his hand angrily.

"Don't you dare run away from me again Sora! You don't know what I've been through to find you. If you want to look for Riku we can do it together. Please, I want to be with you." She said bashfully. I was about to squeal again but held it back for their sake. Sora gazed at her again this time, with a real smile.

"Alright, I'll stay." He said with a nod. After that, we said our final goodbyes to the others and head for the end of the world, the place where our journey was going to end and I didn't like this feeling because I was afraid of how this was going to play out because of how much of this story has changed. We were standing in front of the door we were supposed to step through. I slightly jumped up and down to get pumped for the next battle we were about to fight. I flailed my arms around and would clap every now and then; I did this for a few minutes.

"Is something wrong?" Sora asked. I gave them an embarrassed smile as they glanced at me with raised, confused eyebrows.

"Sorry, I'm getting pumped." I said raising my fist in the air. They shook their head with a chuckle. I strode over to them with my arms outstretched asking for a group hug.

"Before we do this, I want to let you guys know that you are my best friends and I love you more than anything!" I whispered in their ears. "You don't know what our friendship means to me." I squeezed them tighter.

"You're my best friend too!" Kairi said gleefully.

"Same here," Sora laughed. I patted their shoulders and took a deep breath. As we stood before the door determined.

"This is it, time to face the music."

The door crept open and a bright light almost blinded us. In unison the three of us stepped through. I embraced for what we were going to see. Sora and Kairi gave a deep gasp.

"Is this…our island?" they asked in unison. I dared not to say anything knowing what was going to happen.

"This world has been connected." A dark familiar voice echoed.

"Sora, did you say something?" Kairi asked.

"Does Sora have a deep voice like that?" I asked teasingly.

"So you heard it too?" Sora asked. All I did was nod. The ground beneath us shook violently. The three of us held onto each other so we wouldn't topple on our behinds.

"Tied to the darkness; soon to be completely eclipsed." The sand began to crack like broken china.

"Whoa guys, the ocean is turning black!" Kairi shouted. My eyes widened as the beautiful blue ocean turned into something hideous.

"There is so very much to learn, you understand so little. A meaningless effort, one who knows nothing can understand nothing." The voice continued. The weird thing was, it didn't sound like a voice over in the actual game. The voice was echoing inside my head like he was messing with me. I glanced back at the ocean to find Riku standing there out looking the black ocean.

"Take a look at this tiny place." He said addressing to us. The three of us approached him cautiously.

"To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison surrounded by water. So this boy, sought out to escape from his prison. He sought a way to cross into other worlds and opened his heart to darkness." Riku turned around and transformed into Ansem. Kairi was about to run up to him but I outstretched my arm to stop her from going any further.

"Riku!" Sora called.

"Don't bother. Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness." Ansem said with a smirk. All I wanted to do right now was take his long white hair and chop it off. I refrained myself from doing so until it was the right time. The world around began to be engulfed in darkness and it scared me. I held onto Sora's and Kairi's hand tightly to make sure we won't get separated.

"Darkness encompasses all. Kingdom Hearts can only be opened by the power if hearts without darkness. In all the worlds, there are seven hearts with no darkness." Ansem explained.

"The seven princesses of heart, they have opened the door." He said approvingly. The three of us prepared for what was going to be thrown at us. We had no idea if he was going to send heartless on us or something new, but we were ready and determined.

"Behold the endless abyss. Within it lies the heart of all worlds…_Kingdom Hearts_! Every heart will return to the darkness whence it came!" he exclaimed. With that, Sora and I charged at Ansem with everything we got. I was able to take out my anger on him from all those years I've watched this series and loathed him for what he did to my friends. There was a time where I was extremely close to his disgusting face. He strokes my cheek with the back of his hand flirtatiously and smiled.

"You're not from here are you pretty one?" he asked. My response was my infamous glare and another swing. Sora from behind attacked with a good swing. From the distance, an arrow was shot from Kairi's bow. I shot her a smile and swung my blade at Ansem. The battle seemed to go on for a long time. Because of there being so little light, I was afraid that Kairi was going to pierce my back with one of her arrows but thankfully she dodged both Sora and I. She's gotten pretty good

and I couldn't be more proud of her. We were coming down to the home stretch and Ansem was starting to get weak. Kairi's arrows stuck out of him like a porcupine. His final form began to fade until he was his regular self. He turned to the door that was suddenly there floating in the abyss. The majestic door I thought I'd never get to see in person.

"Kingdom Hearts!" he shouted. "Fill me with the power of darkness!" he demanded. The door slowly crept open and darkness was seeping through the cracks. The abyss around us grew stronger, this time separating us. I reached out for my friends but the force was too strong, was this the end for us? NO I couldn't think like that! I had to believe.

"It is futile. The Keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness." Ansem's voice echoed.

"Now your hearts will return to darkness!"

"You're wrong!" Sora shouted. A smile grew on knowing what was about to go down.

"Kingdom hearts, is light!" and with that, light shone throw the darkness. I wanted to watch it defeat Ansem but the light was so strong it could've blinded me. Within minutes, Ansem disappeared and the darkness engulfing us vanished. We floated over to each other for a group hug thanking that the struggle was over, or so we thought. The darkness kept flowing out the doors. We flew over and pushed with all our might but the door wouldn't budge. While watching this scene so many times over the years, I never really guessed how heavy these doors were.

My arms were about to give in when I saw one of the most terrifying things in my life. Two humungous heartless shadows rose from the ground and my eyes widened.

"Uh, guys…" I pointed inside and the two looked inside. Sora struggled to push even harder.

"Come on! Hurry…" Sora gasped between his struggles.

"Sora you're going to strain yourself if you push too hard." I said to calm him down but how can I when there's so much pressure. I looked back at the heartless shadows and watched dumbfounded as they disappeared within a couple of seconds.

"Come on guys, don't give up!" a familiar voice called and Riku appeared behind the door. The Riku who was our friend.

"But, you'll be trapped here." Kairi said.

"Now Sora let's close this door for good! Don't worry, we'll find a way back." Another familiar voice said and my heart pounded at the sight of the one and only Mickey Mouse. The mouse that has been part of my childhood was standing before me, well, standing behind the door. I had a little fan girl moment but controlled myself knowing that it was not the time to be goofing around. Sora nodded and now we were able to close the door. The door finally closed with Riku watching us from behind.

"Take care of her." He said addressing to Sora and it felt like I was about to cry but held back my tears. Sora summoned his keyblade and raised it in the air and the tip of the blade glowed. Kairi and I stood from a safe distance, hoping not to get in the way. When Sora was finished, the door vanished revealing a path leading to nowhere. Sora glanced back at us with a smile when ground beneath began to rumble and Kairi and I held onto each other for support. I knew what was going to happen and I bet Sora thought of the same thing. We were officially returning to the island. Sora reached for Kairi's hand and smiled.

"Kairi, I'm always with you. I'll come back to you, I promise." The ground was drifting apart, forcing Sora and Kairi to let go.

"I _know_ you will!" she called. I was expecting to hear _Simple and Clean _in the background but there was silence

"Jade, can't you teleport us back? I don't want to lose him again." She begged.

"But you said that you know he'll come back didn't you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. With that she fell silent and I continued to watch the scenery in awe. Star dust began to fall around us. I outstretched my hand to see if one will fall into the palm of my hand and when one did, I couldn't help but smile. The island began to form around us with palm trees rising from the sand and I can feel the ocean breeze flowing on my face making me feel at peace. I looked at Kairi who was still gazing at Sora with sad eyes. I was surprised that she wasn't crying but she was trying to be strong. I placed a hand on her back comfortingly so she knew that I knew what was really happening with her. The island was finished and the only thing left was the ocean view, Sora was calling something to us but we couldn't hear. Before we could decipher, a bright light flashed and Sora disappeared. The sun was shining brightly and warm against our skin that was so cold from the dark abyss. Seagulls cried from above. I waited for a bit before I was going to tell her something I knew was going to break her heart even more.

"Kairi, I think I'm going to head back home." I said looking at the sand.

"What? But we just got back. I can't bear to be alone when my friends are out there." She said pointing out to the ocean.

"I'm sorry Kairi but, my parents are probably worried sick about me at this point." I said rubbing my arm.

"That didn't seem to bother you throughout our journey." I knew she was upset but I had to go back.

"Kairi, there could be a dramatic time difference with our worlds. What if it's like I disappeared and my parents thought I was kidnapped or ran away. I know I wasn't worried before but it was because I was having too much fun and didn't want to go home. Now, I think it's time. I'm sorry, I would love nothing more than to stay here but I have to let my parents know that I'm okay." I explained with my hands on her shoulders.

"Can you even get back?" she shrugged.

"I think now that we've beaten the game or I've beaten the game, I think I am able to go back." I said with a nod.

"How did you get here in the first place?" she asked.

"Well, I fell asleep and I ended up on the beach." I pondered out loud and sat on the sand, afraid of my head getting filled with sand.

"I'll come back as soon as possible Kairi. I promise." I said with a smile. I plopped my head onto the soft sand and made a little pillow for comfort. _Please take me home_ I thought to myself. In a couple of minutes, I no longer felt the pebbles of sand but instead felt my soft linen sheets and the comfort of my own bed. I struggled to sit up and observed myself to see if there was any leftover sand on me. There was no sign of it and it scared me to death, thinking that all of this was just a dream.

**This is the first draft of my story, I may tweek it over time but please bare with me lol. If anything doesnt make sense, let me know please! any advice helps! Eventually I will have my one friend who always helps edit my stories eventually help with this one, but for now, please enjoy! :)**


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